September 28, 2009

BPA's: How Bad can they ACTUALLY be for You?

So, I have gotten the e-mail spreading the word about NOT drinking water out of water bottles because when you heat the plastic (in your hand or in your car) it releases BPA's into the water. BPA's are bad chemicals that can cause cancer in your body (in very simple terms!). Not good.

I don't really buy bottled water anyways. So, am I free and clear? I'm afraid not. How many of the following things do YOU have and use for you and your family:

Sunscreen

Plastic cups

Plastic plates

Soda cans

Plastic (throwaway) cutlery

Plastic food storage containers

Plastic toys

Dental Sealants

Water pipes (PVC)

Eyeglass Lenses

Mobile Phone parts

Electronic parts

Newspaper

Printer ink

Paper towels

Air Freshener

Insect repellent

body wash

laundry detergent

pool liners

And More!

I know I use MOST of these things everyday! Bad news is, you guessed it, these contain BPA's.

OK, so HOW BAD ARE BPA'S???

Well, BPA is an Endocrine Disruptor. Here is what Endocrine Disruptors do, according to and article in Mother Earth News:

Many of these chemicals cause problems because they can mimic the action of natural estrogen. These foreign estrogens (also known as xenoestrogens) can upset normal hormonal balance, stimulate the growth and development of reproductive tumors (breast, uterine, prostate), impair fertility, and disrupt pregnancy. Worse, many can cross the placenta to affect the fetus and get into breast milk. Chemicals such as phthalates have an antiandrogenic effect, meaning they interfere with testosterone and other hormones responsible for male sex characteristics. Exposure to these agents during fetal life and early childhood can derail normal sexual development and heighten the risk for diseases that don’t become apparent until adulthood, such as cancer.

Heating up any of these items above quickens the release of BPA's into your food or beverage, thus more is consumed by you and your children...

OK... so what are we going to be able to do about all of this? There are SO many sources where BPA's come from! I mean, I can't throw everything out and start new...

Start small. I mean, start SOMEWHERE! BPA's no matter if you can rid all of them from your life or not, the more you CAN get rid of, the better! are some suggestions laid out by Mother Earth News. They also say to look for these:

Avoiding phthalates is challenging because manufacturers aren’t required to list them as product ingredients.

Look for “phthalate-free” on the label of personal care products (especially nail polish). For information on product ingredients, check the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics website.

Avoid products made of vinyl plastic usually labelled as No. 3 (raincoats, shower curtains) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC pipe, other building materials, some lawn furniture, and some children’s and pets’ toys).

TO read the full article go HERE. I suggest you ALL go and read it, PLEASE!

I have started putting aside my plastic spoons that I use when I cook, plastic plates, plastic bowls and cups. And I use them only if I have no replacement for them at this time. I have set them aside so I don't completely loose all of what I am used to using, but I also put it aside so I can TRY to use something else! We have heavy ceramic plates and bowls that we use for breakfast and dinner, for lunch, I have dug out our metal camp plates! That means no breakage when little guys drop 'em! I recently made homemade applesauce and I was SO tempted to put them in plastic containers to freeze them, but instead took an extra step to putting them in jars and canning them. I have also been trying to purchase more things that come in GLASS containers instead of plastic.

I have a long way to go, but I will keep working on this. I don't want to have my children tell me someday that they have cancer and then look back and wonder if I could have prevented it.

If you want to find out more on BPA's and how they are linked to causing cancer and other issues or if you want to find out if products you are using are BPA free, either do a search in your Swagbucks tool bar or Google it. There is SO MUCH info out there. Be informed!

Thank you to my Aunt Deb, who posted the link to the Mother Earth News article on her Facebook page!

Since reading about the dangers of plastics, I've begun saving glass jars that stuff like applesauce, salsa, etc. comes in. I use these to store leftovers instead of the usual plastic tubs. I've even been freezing things in glass jars (takes up more room, though). I've heard that silicone items are safe, so I want to start replacing plastic cooking spoons etc., with silicone. Sigh, seems dangers lurk everywhere we turn!

We've reduced the amount of chicken, unless it's organic due to the estrogen levels in them. We've started calling McChickens McEstrogens. When you have a house full of boys, you don't want them eating a lot of McEstrogens!